Slingshot is an independent radical newspaper published in Berkeley since 1988.
We’ve managed to pull off another issue, despite the fact that half the articles arrived after deadline and we got consumed endlessly rewriting everything late into the night. It didn’t help that there was a full moon, crazy windy weather, another bicyclist got hit by a car right outside our office window, and some of us celebrated 4:20 on 4/20.
Looking around the circle at our last, sleep deprived, bleary eyed meeting, we weren’t stressed out, sullen or frustrated — we felt an exhausted elation. Like lovers who make love too damn long, sometimes doing Slingshot is so fun and invigorating that we don’t know how to find balance and keep perspective. Sitting in that circle, we weren’t just talking about replacing consumerism with community and coercion with cooperation — we were actually living it. Making Slingshot together inspires and connects us in ways that rarely happen in everyday life.
We worked on this issue with the sun shining in from the roof warming our backs. We work in a loft in the Long Haul Infoshop, a space inhabited by people talking, eating — having meetings and events. The lack of privacy and quiet and public engagement can be challenging, yet the influx of new people bringing art, ideas, feeding us, and spontaneously getting involved is probably the reason the paper gets done when we are overwhelmed .
There was a lot happening in the world that didn’t make it into article form this time around. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan rage on. In Berkeley a modest on-going Code Pink demonstration against the Marine recruiting station attracted hundreds of flag-waving counter-demonstrators, leading to a large chaotic scene. Right-wingers, incensed at a tiny article about Code Pink in last issue, have flooded our email box with hate and threats. We cover a lot of Berkeley oriented actions like this protest that could serve as inspiration for actions elsewhere. Almost every city has a military recruiting station . . .
Past Slingshot articles warned that the biofuel craze could lead to food shortages and pointed out the morbidity of cramming food into gas tanks. Now this summer, the prices of food staples such as rice and grains are rising, with unrest and the misery of famine looming. The contortions of trying to square the circle of never-ending economic expansion and declining resources look more and more painful.
Slingshot is always looking for new writers, artists, editors, photographers, translators, distributors & independent thinkers to make this paper. If you send something written, please be open to being edited.
Editorial decisions are made by the Slingshot collective, but not all the articles reflect the opinions of all collective members. We welcome debate and constructive criticism.
Thanks to all who made this: Apple, Compost, Dominique, Eggplant, Ginger, Gregg, Hunter, Izzi, Katie, Kathryn, Kermit, Melissa, PB, Samantha, Sean, Stephanie, Xarique and all the authors.
Slingshot New Volunteer Meeting
Volunteers interested in getting involved with Slingshot can come to the new volunteer meeting on Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 4 p.m. at the Long Haul in Berkeley (see below).
Article Deadline and Next Issue Date
Submit your articles for issue 98 by September 13, 2008 at 3 p.m.
Volume 1, Number 97, Circulation 16,000
Printed April 24, 2008
Slingshot Newspaper
Sponsored by Long Haul
3124 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705
Phone: (510) 540-0751
slingshot@tao.ca • www.slingshot.tao.ca
Circulation Information
Slingshot is free in the Bay Area and is available at Long Haul and Bound Together Books (SF), plus lots of other places. Subscriptions to Slingshot are free to prisoners, low income and anyone in the USA who has a Slingshot organizer, or cost $1 per issue. International is $2.50 per issue. Back issues are available for the cost of postage. National free distribution program: Outside of the Bay Area, we’ll mail a stack of free copies of Slingshot to distributors, infoshops, bookstores and random friendly individuals for FREE in the US if they give ’em out for free.
Back issue Project
We’ll send you a random assortment of back issues for the cost of postage: send us $3 for 2 lbs or $4 for 3 lbs. Free if you’re an infoshop or library. Or drop by our office. Send cash or check to Slingshot to: Slingshot 3124 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705.